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No. 615,462. H Patented Dec. 6. I898. w. B. RICHARDS.

WHEEL PLOW.

(Appliqation filed J'une'lO, 1898.)

(No Model.)

THE nonms virus on. VNOTO-LITHQ. wnsnmm'ou. u. c

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

\VILLARD B. RICHARDS, OF SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, ASSIGNOR TO "WILLARD B.RICHARDS, JR., OF SAME PLACE.

WHEEL-PLOW.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 615,462, dated December6, 1898 Application filed June 10,1898. Serial No. 683,059. (No model.)

To (ti/Z whom it may concern.-

Be it knownthat I, \VILLARD B. RICHARDS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Salt Lake City, in the county of Salt Lake and State ofUtah, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wheel Plows,of which the following is a specification, reference being had thereinto the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to plows, and more especially to that classthereof which employ a wheel; and the object of the same is to effectimprovements in the means for regulating the depth of the plowshare andits angle to its direction of movement.

A further object of the present invention is the improvements in detailsof construction.

To this end the invention consists in the device hereinafter more fullydescribed and claimed, and as illustrated in the drawings, wherein-Figure 1. is a perspective view of this plow complete. Fig. 2 is a planView of the device, partly broken away. Fig. 3 is a partial sectiontaken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is an enlarged perspectivedetail of the arch and cooperating parts.

Referring to the said drawings, 1 is the tongue, in whose body, near itsrear end, is seated a pipe 3, here extending to the left of thetongue 1. Through this pipe is journaled the crank-axle 4, whose crank 5is at the left end beyond the pipe 3 and carries a large singlesupporting-wheel 6. The right end of the shaft 4 projects beyond thecorresponding end of the pipe 3 and is squared, as at 7, beyond which itis threaded, as at 8.

9 is an arch having an eye 10 in its left end, journaled on the exteriorof the pipe 3, and a square socket 11 in its right end, removablyengaging the squared portion 7 of the crankshaft and held thereon by anut 12 and washer 13.

15 is a toothed rack of semicircular form, having a diametric clamp 16standing approximately horizontal and tightly surrounding the pipe 3,and 17 is the main hand-lever, journaled on the pipe concentric withinthis rack and having a thumb-lever 18 and pawl 19, as usual. The clamp16 tightly surrounds the pipe 3 between the pivotal point of the eye 10and the opposite end of the arch, whereby the body 9 of said archext-ends completely through the toothed rack 15, and it stands in rearof the main lever 17, as seen in Fig. 3. Hence the movement of saidlever to the rear will carry the arch in the same direction and the eye10 of the arch will turn around the pipe 3, while its squared socket 11will cause the crank-shaft 4 to oscillate within said pipe in adirectionto depress the crank 5 and wheel 6, and hence to cause the rising of themain portion of the frame.

In addition to the tongue 1 the frame consists of a rod or strap 20,rigidly secured at 21 to the tongue at a point near its forward end,extending thence laterally outward and thence obliquely to the rear andti htly clamped, as at 22, to the pipe 3, and, i desired, a longitudinalstrap 23 may extend from a point about midway of the oblique straprearward to the pipe 3. Between these two straps extends a bolt 2 1,which passes through one of a number of holes 25 in the seat-standard26. The front end of the latter stands under the oblique strap 20, itsbody rests on the pipe 3, and its rear end carries the drivers seat 27.It will be obvious that by the adjustment of the bolt 20 into one or theother of the holes 25 theweight of the rider can be moved forward orbackward, so as to more accurately counterbalance the entire device.

The numeral designates the plow-beam,

passing between its ends beneath the pipe 3 and journaled thereon by aclip 3 1. Forward of that point it extends alongside the tongue, and anoblique brace 32 may be clipped at 33 to the beam, extend thence to therear, and have a collar 34' journaled on the pipe 3, as best seen inFig. 2.

35 is the plowshare, pendent from and sup ported by the beam 30 througha colter 36, and 37 are handles by which the movement of the plow may bedirected by a second operator walking in rear of the machine, ifdesired, and when used these handles are preferably connected with theplow-beam, as at 38.

39 is a wheel traveling on the land side of the plowshare and supportedin a bracketarm 10, adj ustably clipped to the left handle, as shown.

4:1 is a small wheel which I preferably employ for supporting theforward iid of the beam 30, this wheel having a bracket-arm 42adjustably connected with said beam, as seen in Figs. 1 and 2.

43 is a bracket, which in the present instance arches over the tongue 1to the oblique strap 20, and this bracket carries a groove-pulley 44,over which passes a chain 45, leading upward from the front end of theplow-beam and rearward to the arch 9, a rod 46 being substituted for thestraight portion of the chain, if desired.

All parts of this device (excepting possibly the tongue, beam, handles,lever, seat-support, and whifiietree) are preferably of iron and of suchrelative sizes, shapes, and proportions as are best adapted to thecircumstances.

Oonsiderable change may be made in the details without departing fromthe principle of my invention, among which I might note that for thesingle plowshare herein shown a double plow could be used if desired,and one or both of the small wheels might be omitted entirely.

In operation the horse or horses are hitched to the whiffletree, thedriver takes his seat, and the plow is transported to its field ofoperations. The small wheel 39 is set to travel on the land side of theplowshare, so that the latter will embed itself into the earth only tothe desired extent. The horses being started the pawl 19 is tripped andthe main lever 17 moved forward to raise the crank 5, which operationpermits the descent of the entire frame and the plow, and the point ofthe latter turns up its furrow. As the lever 17 moves forward it permitsa similar movement of the arch 9, and this slackens on the rod and chain46 and 45 and permits the front end of the plowbeam to descend, by whichmeans the plowbeam and the line of movement of the plowshare aremaintained at the proper relative angle to the surface of the earth. Itwill be clear that by adjusting the length of the chain (as at the pointwhere it engages the hook of the rod 46) the forward end of the plowbeamWill be caused to stand higher or lower with respect to the plow and theangle of thelatter can be adjusted as desired. The vertical adjustmentof the wheel 41, which travels at the land side of the beam, will giveproper support to the same, the large wheel 6 always traveling on theground, as is clear. In order to raise the plowshare out of the furrow,the lever 17 is drawn to the rear by the rider. This throws the arch 9to the rear, causes an oscillation of the crankshaft 4, tending todepress the wheel 6, and hence resulting in the raising of the shaft,the pipe 3, and the entire frame and plow, and this movement also drawson the rod and chain and raises the front end of the plowbeam; By propermanipulation of the main lever it will be clear that the plow-point canbe caused to travel at the desired depth within the earth or above thesurface, and the small wheel 39 serves only as apositive limit to thedepth of the furrow and can be removed entirely, if desired. From therelative position of parts herein shown it will be obvious that byproper adjustment of the position of the seat through the mechanismabove described the greater or less weight of a rider can be brought tobear at the proper point in rear of the axle to support the frame at apractical balance on a line through the hub of the main wheel.

What I claim is- 1. In a wheel-plow, the combination with the tongue, apipe at right angles thereto, a shaft journaled through the pipe andhaving a crank at one end, and the main wheel carried by said crank; ofan oblique strap connecting the front end of the tongue with the outerend of the pipe, a longitudinal brace connecting said pipe with theoblique brace at about the center of the latter, a seat-standard restingon the pipe and provided with a series of holes, a bolt connecting saidbraces and adjustable into one of said holes, a plow,

' and connections between the plow and frame for adjusting the height ofthe former with respect to the latter, as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a wheel-plow, the combination with a transverse pipe supported bythe frame, a plow whose beam is connected with said pipe, a shaftjournaled through the pipe and having one projecting end squared andthreaded beyond its squared portion, and a crank at its other endcarrying the main supportingwheel; of an arch having an eye at one endjournaled on the pipe and a squared socket at the other end engaging theextremity of the shaft, a nuton the threaded portion of the latterbeyond said socket, connections between the arch and the plow-beam, andmeans for oscillating the arch, as and for the purpose set forth. I

3. In a wheel-plow, the combination with a transverse pipe supported bythe frame, a plow whose beam is connected with said pipe,

and a shaft journaled through the pipe and having one end cranked andcarrying the main supporting-wheel of an arch having an eye at one endjournaled on the pipe and a socket at the other end tightly engaging theextremity of the shaft, a grooved pulley car ried by the front end ofthe frame, a rod and chain adjustable in length leading from the archover said pulley to the front end of the plow-beam,and means foroscillating the arch, as and forthe-purpose set forth.

4. In a wheel-plow, the combination with a transverse pipe carried bythe frame, a crankshaft journaled therethrough and having a main wheel011 its cranked end, an arch having an eye at one extremity journaled onthe pipe and its other extremity rigidly connected with the crank-shaft,a semicircular toothed rack extending over the arch, a diametric clamptherein tightly engaging the pipe be tween the ends of the arch, a mainlever jour naled on the pipe with its body in front of the body of thearch, and a thumb-lever and pawl; of a plow whose beam is connected withthe pipe, and flexible and adjustable connections between its front endand the body of the arch, as and for the purpose set forth 5. In awheel-plow, the combination with the tongue, a transverse pipe bracedtherefrom, a crank-shaft journaled through said pipe and carrying a mainwheel on its crank, a main lever moving adjacent a rack carried by thepipe, and a swinging arch connected with the crank-shaft and operatedbysaid lever; of a plow-beam parallel with the tongue and extendingbeneath the pipe, a clip on the beam embracing the pipe, a small wheelwhose standard is adj ustably connected with the forward portion of theplow-beam, a plowshare whose colter depends from the beam, handles forthe share, a small wheel whose standard is vertically adjustable on saidhandles,

and longitudinally-adj ust-able connections between said arch and thefront end of the plowbeam, as and for the purpose set forth.

6. In a wheel-plow, the combination with the tongue, a transverse pipeextending laterally therefrom, an oblique brace connecting the remoteends of these members, abracket connecting the tongue and brace neartheir forward ends, a grooved pulley mounted on the bracket, acrankshaft journaled through said pipe and carrying a main wheel on itscrank, 'a main lever moving adjacent a rack carried by the pipe, and aswinging arch connected with the crank-shaft and operated by said lever;of a plow-beam pivotally connected with the pipe and having its forwardend standing between said tongue and brace, a small wheel whose standardis adj ustably connected with the forward portion of the plowbeam, anoblique brace extending from the beam to an eye journaled on the pipe, aplowshare carried by the beam, a rod leaning for ward from said arch,and a chain connected with the rod and passing over said grooved WILLARDI). RICHARDS.

Witnesses:

C. B. ATTERBURY, THOMAS A, MULHOLLAND.

